


Holiday interlude

by Frog_heart_00



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Holidays, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 14:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13149042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frog_heart_00/pseuds/Frog_heart_00
Summary: A short holiday bughead one- shot...





	Holiday interlude

First time poster on this site, otherwise second bughead fic.  
Just a one-shot holiday bughead story. After reading several fluffy Christmas fics, I've been wanting to write something short and sweet for the holidays and this is what I came up with. There's no resolution or quick-fix, just a little interlude between the two.  
Totally unbeta-ed and spelled checked by yours truly.  
As mentioned, this is my first post here so I have to apologize if the format is iffy.  
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Jughead Jones slowly walked along the quiet streets of the South Side, his black boots making crunching sounds on the frozen ground. Chasing the tiredness after a long day, Jughead was taking his sweet time, admiring the Christmas decorations that he came across. It always fascinated him to see the twinkle lights contouring houses, the plastic Santa Clauses and reindeers on the lawn or the ice-cicles hanging from a porch. He could almost feel himself sucked into this hallmark Christmas movie where everything turned out okay and the world was just filled with good. That must be the spirit of Christmas, he’d often tell himself as he allowed himself to smile longingly. He’d observed the houses he’d walked by, wondering how its residents were spending their holidays. The people-watcher and writer in him couldn’t help but analyzing the details he could see. It was nearing midnight now, were they sitting down after a long family dinner watching some holiday movie or playing board games over some eggnog? Or were they passed out drunk already and the kids were huddled up in their bedrooms, their Christmas presents long forgotten? It wasn’t easy to decipher what was happening behind the curtains but with the ever twinkle of the Christmas lights, he would like to think the majority were having a calm evening. 

His legs were beginning to complain after the long walk but Jughead ignored it, knowing he was nearing his destination. 

After spending the day with the kids at the South Side rec center, Jughead was in need of some time for himself. He shouldn’t be complaining though, it had felt nice spending time with these kids who probably weren’t having the best holidays (just like him) and it felt great giving something back to the community, he had actually felt useful for once. He couldn’t forget how big their eyes or their smiles were as he had (reluctantly) put on a Santa suit and given them presents that the Serpents had provided for. He was originally only meant to deliver them and leave as he hadn’t any plans for the day but the kids convinced him to stay until dinner and then convinced him to stay on until the presents were open. For a rare moment, he actually felt like a kid again, playing hide-and-seek, making chains outs of coloured paper, using way too much glitter and baking cookies with the kids. He was amazed at how much of a good time he had had with the rugrats and he felt amazed at how positive they all were. If they had felt saddened by that, they didn’t show it to him or to the other volunteers. They were just happy that they had somewhere to spend Christmas Day. 

The day had helped him temporarily forget about his own problems, maybe that had been the whole point when he had decided to stay there and help where he could but now, as he walked further and further away from the rec center, not even the innocence he had seen in the kids’ eyes were enough to keep the dark thoughts that were returning. He thought he could have gone on in Christmas mode but the little spark was disappearing as soon as it had appeared. 

He thought house-gazing would have helped but then he would walk by the shabby house with the unkept yard, half the Christmas lights working. It was those observations that brought him back to reality. The gang, his dad, his friends, Penny… No, don’t think about Penny, he scolded himself as his pace quickened. This is Christmas for Christ sakes… He clenched his fists as he looked at the sky, asking himself where would he be when all of this is over, if it ever would be over? He quickly chased away that thought and concentrated on the coffee he would soon get.  
His mind lightened as he saw the familiar neon light across the trees. 

Coffee. A cup of coffee. That’s what he needed. And his laptop. It might not help his problems but at least he could try and wind down with a bit of writing. 

He was taking his familiar path towards Pop and walked up to the parking lot when he stopped abruptly, two things catching his eye. 

The first was the lack of activity or lights coming from inside the diner and the other was the presence of a certain blonde standing a few feet ahead of him, making the same observations.

The sweat on his back suddenly cooling, J stopped, trying to remain quiet before he decided what to do. She hadn’t noticed him yet. They hadn’t seen one another since that mock of a Secret Santa exchange several days ago and they had remained on radio silence since then. Although he had thanked her for her Christmas gift when she had handed the heavy package over to him, he still had to properly thank her after he had opened that typewriter. He was still working on what to say and in what type of media he should do it. I should just turn around and walk back to the trailer, he thought sadly, knowing what would wait for him there. It was better for them not to see each other, being the holidays… But she stood there in those cute white ear muffs and a light blue bubbly jacket. He smiled as, despite unable to see her face, he still thought she looked beautiful.

The hurt of being unable to touch her returned strongly, the thoughts of the reasons why they couldn’t be together clouded his mind. He frowned sadly and decided to return to the trailer, even if it meant dealing with yet another sad reality. 

Unfortunately, the decision was not his to make as just as he was about to turn around, so did the blonde ahead of him. She stopped blank as soon as she recognized him, her green eyes brightening instantly. He thought he could almost hear her gasp as she saw him.

“So I guess Pop isn’t open 24/7.” Jughead smirked before pointing at the neon sign, knowing he should at least exchange a few words with her. “I call it false advertisement.”

Betty Cooper smiled lazily. “I’ll file a complaint tomorrow morning, alright?” She teased back, walking up to him. 

“Maybe he can give us a discount or two… you know, since he’s literally ruined Christmas for two costumers.” He continued.

“Well, Pop has always been understanding… You never know, he might knock a few dollars off your tab.” 

They laughed at their corny joke before they stared at one another, their glances speaking for them.

“So, I guess you were after a nice juicy burger and some greasy fries on Christmas day?” He asked.

Betty put a hand on her stomach and stuck out her tongue. “Oh, don’t mention food, we’re just done with dessert and I am full. I came here for Polly’s sake. She was craving for a strawberry milkshake and I dutifully took the quest of getting her one, convinced Pop was open…” She bit her lip and sighed. “Now what am I going to do! She’s going to go preg-zilla on me. Remember for the future jug, stay on a heavily pregnant woman’s good side, okay?! You do not want to find out when she’s pissed.”

Jughead laughed at her but it disappeared quietly. The silence was awkward as they appeared to try to think about something normal to say to one another. How quickly their relationship had changed, he thought sadly as he watched her opening her mouth several times but no words escaping her mouth. He was pretty certain he was doing the same thing. Was it only a few weeks ago that we had first fallen asleep together? Was it only a couple of weeks ago that I had slept so soundly and woken up to find a blond goddess curled up against me? 

Betty bit her lips until she smiled shyly. “Ok, I was lying.” She admitted. “Polly is not a preg-zilla, she is a walking planet of two, so we’re pretty much at her heels whenever she wants something. My mom’s turned into this holiday-empress of cheerfulness since Polly decided to show up so I was just happy to escape the Cooper House of apparent Cheer for a while…” She stopped and put a hand on her head, probably aware that she was babbling too much. 

“Well, a little walk during Christmas Day can always put things in perspective.” He said.

She nodded her head, taking a deep breath as those his short words had managed to calmed her down. “What about you? What’s your excuse?” She asked curious. 

He fixed the beanie on his head. “Just wanted a cup of coffee.” He said innocently.

“I thought you and FP were meant to go to Toledo to see your mom and JB?” 

Jughead sniffed and clenched his fists momentarily, trying to focus on anything to hide his disappointment. “The plan fell through.” He said, dryly. “Had to deal with… Unexpected things…”

Betty tilted her head to the side and nodded her head slowly. “Oh… Well, did you guys manage to spend a nice Christmas day then?” She asked in an upbeat tone. He knew she was letting the matter go even though she was probably biting her tongue to ask for details.

“Dear old dad is probably still sleeping it off.” He shrugged indifferent before adding a smirk, bringing his hands together. “He might be a drunken louse but at least he’s still a responsible and thoughtful dad and gave a growing boy something he always needs for Christmas: socks and underwear!” He smiled coldly before putting his hand behind his neck. He watched as Betty merely stood there, her eyes growing wider and wider. He thought he could see the tears forming in her eyes and instantly regretted revealing so much, knowing how hurt she would be from hearing how things were going for him. He didn’t want to tell her how he spent Christmas Eve at the Wyrm with his gang. 

Yeah, it had been a nice way to celebrate things and he couldn’t say he felt alone but there was a little ache in his heart that complained that a 16-year-old shouldn’t be spending the holidays in a biker gang, in a biker club. He should have been at home, waiting excitedly for Christmas morning to come so he could open his presents with his family. But that was reserved for someone other than him and waking up on Christmas day, knowing FP would probably be passed out for most of the day had made the whole unwrapping-presents-thing a little irrelevant.

“Jug...” She said in a low voice, reaching out to him. 

He wisely stepped back, knowing he could not ask her for what he craved most for, not now, not anymore…

“I spent the entire day at the rec center today.” He said loudly, hoping his voice wasn’t shaking as he tried to look at the bright side of things. “They usually have this yearly Christmas Day thing planned for kids of the South Side. The gang usually gives away a lot of toys and donates money so that every kid that shows up has a great Christmas experience…” He went on to tell her about his day, of playing around with the kids and dressing up as Santa Claus (even showed her a selfie in costume). He was happy that she beamed brightly at his tale. “It felt good, giving something back to the community.” He said, surprising himself, genuinely feeling he had made a difference in those kids day. 

“Jughead, that’s amazing.” Betty said, looking warmly at him. “It must have been some celebration if they managed to convince you to go in Santa suit!!” She chuckled. 

“How could I say no to a bunch of volunteers with their puppy eyes?” He said in defense. 

They laughed quietly before they began to pace around in search of heat, huddling their arms together. Although the temperature was a little above freezing, there was a chill in the air that seemed to sneak through their layers of clothing. The skies were overcast and had a white colour, a promise of snow falling down any time soon. 

Betty looked at the neon signed and the closed diner before she crunched her face. “I guess I should get back and face my sister’s wrath.” She sighed.

“Yeah…” Jughead replied, putting his hands in his pockets in need of heat. “I guess I should get back to.” He didn’t really feel like saying where because he didn’t know where to go. He didn’t want to go back to the trailer and the rec center was closed by now. There was one option left where he knew he would be welcomed with opened arms, where he would be welcomed as one of their own. 

Several seconds passed but no one made a sign of moving. Their feet remained firmly on the ground. Their eyes finally met after a moment. Jughead tried to regain his cold, remote look, trying to put some distance between them but knew that Betty wasn’t buying any of it. As much as he appreciated her presence right now, in this peaceful interlude in their fucked-up lives, he had to push her away again, for both their sakes and it was costing him everything he had. She stared intently, knowing very well what he was trying to do.

But she didn’t call him on that. 

There is so much to tell, they thought sadly, there’s so much more to talk about.

But not now…

Resolved, Betty sniffed loudly and took a deep breath, clenching her fists. “I’ll see you...” She said, attempting a perfect smile but stopping half-way. She turned around and took several steps before he ran up to her and grasped her arm, pulling her rather harshly into his arms.

He felt her stiffened in his arms before she quickly relaxed, her body instinctively fitting neatly around him. She buried her face in his jacket and wrapped her arms around him. He passed a hand through her hair, tugging lightly at her perfect pony tail.

“My god, I miss you Betts.” He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She pulled away and looked at him, their faces nearly touching. She rested her forehead over his. “I’ve missed you too.” She whispered, the tears rolling down her eyes. “So very much.” She briefly placed her hand on his cheek.

Before either could rationalize, before their defenses would put a stop to this, their lips met and an inner instinct overtook them as all of their feelings surfaced and took over, their lips saying what they could not. There was a desperation in their movements like lovers who were about to share their last kiss before an impending doom was to fall upon them. He felt her hands clenching violently on his jacket, pulling him as close as she could. He brought his hands around her head and dared to leave deep kisses on her neck, on her ear lobe, on the sweet spots he had come to known and missed terribly. It felt like hours but minutes must have only gone by. They finally pulled apart, gasping for air.

Their heads and noses still touching as they caught their breaths. 

“When is it going to end?” Jughead whispered sadly, his emotions getting the better of him. He wanted to lament his screwed-up life, his screwed-up relationship with the only girl he could ever care for, his absent family… He wished he knew when he could finally breathe again…

“I don’t know.” She replied in a broken voice as she looked down. 

She tightened her grip on his jacket again and looked up at him again as he noticed the courage in her emerald eyes, the one that always gave him hope. “But if we stay true to each other, we might get through this… One day…” 

“One day…” He muttered back. 

Betty pressed a light kiss on his lips before she pulled away, finally letting go of him. “Merry Christmas Jughead Jones.” She sighed. 

“Merry Christmas Betty Cooper.” He answered back with a little smile on the corner of his lips. He turned around and walked back to the South Side, deciding to go home, hoping FP would appreciate a turkey sandwich.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys appreciated it.  
> please feel free to comment.


End file.
